Exercise 29 Page 189

Equations written in slope-intercept form follow a specific format. y= mx+ b In this form, m represents the slope of the line and b represents the y-intercept. Below we have highlighted the slope m and y-intercept b. y= - 1x - 8 ⇔ y= - 1x+( - 8) The slope is - 1. The y-intercept is - 8, so the graph crosses the y-axis at the point (0, - 8).

Graphing the Equation

A slope of - 1 means that for every 1 unit we move in the positive horizontal direction, we move 1 unit in the negative vertical direction. m= - 1/1 ⇔ rise/run=- 1/1 To graph the equation, plot the y-intercept and then use the slope to find another point on the line.

As we can see, the x-intercept is - 8. This means that the graph crosses the x-axis at the point ( - 8,0).